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1948-
Popularized figure skating and won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics.

Peggy won three world titles -- and made it look easy.  John G. Zimmerman

Peggy Fleming's gold-medal-winning free-skate program at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, lasted just four minutes, but that was enough time, it turned out, to change everything. By bringing her new and captivating combination of athleticism and artistic expression to an international TV audience -- Grenoble was the first Winter Games to be televised live and in color -- the 19-year-old achieved a remarkable trifecta: She returned glory to a U.S. team that had been wiped out by a 1961 plane crash, turned a once staid sport into the Games' glamour event and set figure skating on a course of growing popularity in the U.S. that now rivals the NFL's.

Most important, perhaps, Fleming established a new standard for artistic elegance on the ice. Delicate and subtle yet unmistakably athletic -- she had played baseball and surfed in her youth -- Fleming flowed seamlessly through her elements, making even the most demanding maneuvers look easy.

After winning five straight national titles and three straight world championships, as well as the U.S.'s only gold medal in Grenoble, Fleming glided into a life of many roles: professional skater, broadcaster, wife, mother, breast-cancer survivor and author. "I wish I had been aware of the impact my career would have," says Fleming, now 51. "I think I might have taken it all a lot more seriously."

--Kelli Anderson

Athletes were selected by Sports Illustrated For Women, Sports Illustrated and CNN/SI editors, writers and correspondents who considered the athletes' on-field performance and achievements, plus their contributions to women's sports. Because athletic achievement was a key criterion, women whose contributions were made solely in administration and coaching are not included.

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